Parts of me,
My history,
Strewn about in
Different places,
Unrecognized by
Anyone else,
Fragments of a
Bygone time,
Vivid in my mind only.
A heavy sigh,
How it all passes.
She insists that she
Loves doing this
Soulless thing that
Makes her a lot of money,
Yet one can’t help but
Wonder whether,
As a child,
She looked at the clouds
And thought to herself
That she wanted to be
What she is now.
Sitting in the airport,
It dawns on him
That he needs to stop
Trying to be someone
He’s not,
Move beyond the persona
He’s carefully devised
To avoid facing his fears and
Pursuing his dreams.
He hears the boarding call
As he walks away.
Constant, insistent perseverance
In the face of crushing odds,
Head down in defiant opposition to
Forces that contort dreams.
One laborious step after another,
Unfailing determination and
Purity of purpose align.
Things predestined appear.
Once in a while,
Leave the lights and excitement,
Take the obligatory trip
To a sad town where
Sad people tell sad stories about
Things that never happened.
I offer my heart, my vision, my passion.
The inside of my being exposed,
Vulnerable, yearning for validation, a
Scrap of hope, shred of approval, an
Outstretched helping hand. Please
See who I am, potential, promise.
Intangibles fall unrecognized
Before timorous eyes.
What if they don’t like what I offer?
Worse yet, what if they don’t like me?
What will I do then?
What will I do next?
If I just think about it a little longer
I’m sure I’ll find the solution or
Deflate like an errant souffle.
What will I do then?
I know. I’ll keep obsessing
Until I’m unable to move.
The placid life of a statue.
That’s what I’ll do.
Everyone asks him
About his fancy new car;
He revels in the attention,
Offering gleefully meticulous
Explanations about everything
From how he bought it to
What’s going on under the hood,
A conspicuous absence of any
Conversation of real substance
Or a life of any significance
Beyond what everyone is
Already comfortable talking about,
A group of people standing
Around wearing masks.
Effortlessly flows the line onto
Paper, tracing its own trajectory,
Following its own muse,
Imbuing its own energy and inspiration
On fortunate space. Pensive,
Thoughtful, thoughtless,
Eclipsed by passion,
Joyful abandon manifest.
Instinctive, automatic,
A whirl of ecstasy.
